Apparatus for excavating and elevating gravel.



No. 642,048. Patented Jan. 23, I900.

L. E. MILLER.

OR EXCAVATING AND ELEVATING GRAVEL.

Application filed June 15. 1899.;

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APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING AND ELEVATING GRAVEL.

(Application filed June 15. 1899- B L) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

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l STATES FFICE.

PATENT LOUIS E. MILLER, OF DAWVSON, CANADA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, EITO THE ELLIOT MACHINE AND, MINING COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING AND ELEVATING GRAVEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,048, dated January23, 1960.

Application filed June 15, 1899. Serial No. 720,688. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs E. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dawson, Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for EX- cavating and Elevating Gravel; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is an improvement in apparatusforexcavatingandelevatinggravel and it consists in the novel features hereinafterdescribed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, whichillustrate one form in which I have contemplated embodying my invention,and said invention is fully disclosed in the following description andclaims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a diagrammatic view of myapparatus arranged to excavate and elevate pay-gravel from a placer goldmine, showing it in connection with a scraper. Fig. 2 is a similar viewshowing the apparatus adapted for use in removing gravel from a minehaving a vertical shaft. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectionalview of a form of hoisting-engine which I advantageously employ. Fig. 4is an elevation of the hoisting-drums.

In Fig. 1 my apparatus is shown arranged for excavating from an opencut, as in placer mining. In this figure,A represents the bedrock, and athe pay streak or section of gravel bearing precious metals, which islocated directly above the bed-rock in most cases, and a, a representthe sides of the out.

B represents a hoisting-engine provided with two independently-operatedhoistingdrums. In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown portions of ahoisting-engine which I prefer to employ in this connection.

7) represents the crank-shaft of the engine, which is provided on eachside with a crankdisk Z), having a crank-pin 19 to which theconnecting-rod b from one of the piston-rods b is secured, the devicebeing provided with a cylinder 19 and piston at each side of the engine.Upon the crank-shaft is mounted the loose Windingdrum b, which isprovided with a flange at each end, one of said flanges gaged by amovable friction-cone b, splined on the shaft and controlled by aclutch-lever b.

0 represents a counter-shaft, in this instance arranged above thecrank-shaft and parallel thereto, said shafts being connected by a smallgear-whcel c on shaft 0 meshing with a larger gear 11 on the crank-shaftb. I prefer to have the diameter of the drivinggear b about twice thediameter of the gear a, so that the shaft 0 will travel at double thespeed of the crank-shaft. The shaft C is provided with a loose drum 0,having a brakegroove 0 and a clutch member 0 similar to the one on thedrum 1), and the shaft 0 is provided with a friction-cone c, splined onthe shaft and controlled by a clutch-lever 0 A brake-strap c engages thegroove 0 and is controlled by a brake-lever c'. It will thus be seenthat either of the drums can be thrown into operation independently ofthe other or held by their respective brakes or allowed to turn looselyupon their shafts at the will of the operator and that when the upperdrum 0 is in operation it will travel at double the speed of thecrank-shaft.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the hoisting-engine B is preferably located onthe bank at one side of the cut, as shown on the right in Fig. 1. Themain hoisting-cable D is secured to the main drum Z1", passes across thecut and over an elevated pulley d, secured to a stationary support, (inthis instance a properly-supported mast d,) and thence to the bail e ofthe hoisting device, (in this instance the scraper E.)

D represents the auxiliary hoisting-cable, which is provided at its endwith a sheave d engaging the main cable D between the scraper and thepulley d. From the sheave d the auxiliary cable extends over a pulley dfixed to a stationary support on the side of the cut opposite the pulley(I, being secured in this instance to a properly-support- I ed mast 01adjacent to the hoisting-engine.

From the pulley d the auxiliary cable extends down to the auxiliary drum0, to which it is secured.

The scraper E may be of any usual construction which will enable it tofill itself when it is drawn along the surface of the ground and containthe gravel when hoisted, said scraper being provided with a hingeddumping door or gate 6, normally held in place by a catch e*, and thescraper is also provided with a pair of removable handles e adapted tohe slipped into cleats 6 when the scraper is being filled and to beremoved from the scraper when the latter is being hoisted, as will bereadily understood.

On the side of the cut opposite the hoisting-engine I have shown a pairof washingtroughs or sluice-boxes, such as are used in placer-mining,said sluice-boxes being indicated at F F and each betng provided with achute f for supplying water thereto for washing the gravel.

In the form of apparatus shown in Fig. 1 the operation will be asfollows: The operator in the cut will attach the removable handles e tothe scraper, so as to be able to guide it as it is drawn along, theparts being in substantially the position shown in full lines in thefigure. The hoisting-engine being in motion, the operator in charge willthrow in the clutch connecting the main hoisting-drum to its shaft,thereby winding in the main cable D and drawing the scraper along thesurface of the ground and filling the same. During this operation theauxiliary cable D may be allowed to run free or may be held by applyingthe brake to the auxiliary drum 0, according to the amount of slack inthe same and the distance that the scraper has to travel in order tofill. Ordinarily the cable D will be held by braking its drum. When thescraper has been filled, the operator in the cut will remove the handlestherefrom and the operator at the hoisting-engine will apply the braketo the auxiliary drum and continue the operation of the mainhoisting-drum to wind in the main cable. The sheave at will allow themain cable to slip through it until the bail e strikes the sheave, whenthe sheave will move upward with the scraper in an are on the, axis ofthe pulley d as a center. By continuing the operation of the maindrumthe angle formed at the sheave 61 between the main and auxiliarycables, will gradually increase until the two cables are nearly in astraight line, when by partially releasing the brake on the auxiliarydrum the auxiliary cable may be paid out and the scraper brought to thedesired position over one or the other of the troughs or sluice-boxes For carried to any other desired point. To return the scraper to the cut,the auxiliary drum is thrown into connection with its shaft by means ofits clutchlever and clutch, and the auxiliary cable is wound in veryrapidly, as the shaft G rotates at double the speed of the crank-shaft,the main cable being paid out slowly until the scraper is about over thecenter of the cut,- when the auxiliary drum will be held by its brakeand the main cable paid out by releas-' ing the main drum from itsbrake, when the scraper will sink into the out until it rests upon thebottom in position to be refilled.

It will be noticed that the port-ion of the auxiliary cable between thesheave d and the pulley d operates very much as though it were a rigidarm pivoted at the axis of the pulley 01 By the proper manipulation ofthe clutch and brake levers of the main and auxiliary drums the positionof the scraper can be controlled with great precision, while myapparatus is exceedingly cheap and simple to construct and operate.

In Fig. 2 I have shown my apparatus applied to hoisting a bucketthrougha vertical shaft G of a mine and .then' moving it latorally todump it into a sluice-box F, where it can be washed. In this instancethe auxiliary cable D is held by braking its drum in such a positionthat the sheave d will be over the center of the shaft. The bucket Hbeing at the bottom of the shaft and connected to the mainhoisting-cable, the main drum will be thrown into operation to wind inthe main cable, thereby elevating the bucket H vertically until its bailstrikes the sheave (1 when the sheave will move upward with it untilthemain and auxiliary cables arenearly in a straight line, when theauxiliary cable may be slackened to allow the bucket to be drawnlaterally and dumped into the sluicebox F. To return the bucket to theshaft, the auxiliary drum will be operated to wind up the auxiliarycable until the sheave d is nearly over the shaft G, when the main drumwill be released and allowed to run free, thus lowering the bucket andsheave d until the sheave is above the center of the shaft insubstantially the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, when themaincable will pay through the sheave and lower the bucket into theshaft.

- I find it very advantageous to run the auxiliary drum at double thespeed of the main drum or faster than the main drum, as it enables thescraper or bucket to be quickly returned, and the additional speed Willnot require additional power from the engine, as the bucket is emptywhen it is operated upon positively by the auxiliary drum.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an excavating and elevating apparaand having a sliding engagementwith the main cable between the receptacle and said pulley,substantially as described.

2. In an excavating and elevating apparatus, the combination with twoindependent hoisting-dru ms, and means for operating and controlling thesame, of a receptacle, a main cable extending from one of said drums,over a pulley secured to a stationary support at a distance from thehoisting-drums, and thence to said receptacle, a sheave on said maincable between the receptacle and said pulley, and an auxiliarycablesecured to said sheave and extending to the other of said hoistingdrums,substantially as described.

3. I11 an excavating and elevating apparatus, the combination with twoindependent lioisting'drunis, and means for operating and controllingthe same, of a receptacle, a stationary support at a distance from andentirely independent of said hoisting mechanism, a pulley carried bysaid support a main cable extending from one of said drums over saidpulley, to said receptacle, a sheave on said cable between thereceptacle and said pulley, an auxiliary cable connected to said sheaveand extending to the other drum,and means for driving the drum for theauxiliary cable at greater speed than the drum for the main cable,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

LOUIS E. MILLER. Witnesses:

L. P. WHITAKER, O. M. BAIR.

